


Just Before

by LGITB



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Episode: s02e13-14 Such Sweet Sorrow Parts 1-2, F/F, Pre-Relationship, backdrop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 04:18:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20860121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LGITB/pseuds/LGITB
Summary: A little idea that's been nagging me for a while now. What happened between Michael's emotional goodbye on the bridge, to some of the crew deciding to stay with her? and what about two specific crew members, their decision and onward?Also, I think the connection between Lt. Detmer and Owosekun is one that is just so palpable, it'll almost be a shame if the series didn't explore it (but I guess they won't).





	Just Before

**Author's Note:**

> This is very raw, and to be honest, my first time ever writing fan fiction, and with English not being my 1st language.... anyways, let me know what you think? I'm just shooting this off into space, not beta'd or even really read through again, so I hope it'll make sense.  
I'm updating this as the muse strikes me, hope y'all will enjoy!

“Let’s get that crystal charged, and let’s get to work”.

And just like that, they were meant to move on with the battle preparation plans, with their lives, as if they weren’t just told their comrade, their FRIEND, Michael, was about to… well what was it? Sacrifice her life? It was in a way, but really… it was a sacrifice. And it didn’t feel right.

From a quick look just before she turned back to her station, Lt. Keyla Detmer knew she wasn’t the only one feeling like something just wasn’t right. It was clear that Spock was struggling with this, as was Captain Georgiou. Prime or Terran universe, her connection to Michael Burnham was questionable. Commander Stamets seemed almost crippled by sadness. One loss after the other, it would seem, and Keyla thought to herself that maybe, just maybe, this one was the one that would prove to be too much.

Even commander Reno looked stricken by it. Plan or no plan, this was just a loss they weren’t ready for.

And she didn’t dare thing about Tilly and how this would make her feel.

Eventually, Keyla looked sideways. Her partner on the bridge, her best friend and… and her _something_ that neither one of them defined yet, Lt. Joann Owosekun, still looked shell shocked. That was one of the things she loved about her, how expressive she was. She teased her about it sometimes, how she would never be able to captain a vessel, not being able to hide her emotions in the deceptive way captains and commanders often needed to.

Lt. Owosekun looked back at her, and it was one of those times, again, from almost the start, where both knew exactly what the other was thinking. This was what made them such a good team on the bridge, such a deadly combination in a battle and smooth in a way that made more than one bridge member comment about their annoying non verbal perfect communication, that would “give Betazoids a nasty jealousy bone”, put so non-eloquently by someone, probably Gen Rice with his cynical, good natured humor.

It seemed the whole bridge moved around in slow motion, disbelief and sadness.

They didn’t really have time to think about anything lately. They both knew something was simmering between them, but it’s been ages, weeks it seems, since they had a chance to continue exploring their mutual attraction. It felt so natural, but, at such a very, very early stage, who knew what it was really.

They had a conversation about it, sort of, awhile ago. Before Leland, before anything. After one long shift, over dinner and multiple reports they both were working on, Joann started talking about a previous relationship that popped into her mind. It must have been after Dr. Culber broke up with Paul, bringing an abrupt end to their fairytale story.  
Joann told her about this friendship she had, that blossomed into a relationship. Back in the academy, after a year one, another cadet in her class who because a close friend, and when they decided to give it a shot, they realized they really were more friends than anything. Eventually they went beck to being just friends, not even close friends. The close bond they shared was lost, and it made for a really tense study environment.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like for Commander Stamets now”, Owosekun sighed. “At least in the Academy there was enough space for both of us to keep our distance, but, here on a ship? Must be terrible.”. She went back to her PADD, but Kayla remained pensive, staring at her companion and trying to understand why the story left her guts all turned up and twisted. She thought that their closeness was leading to something she thought was mutual for Joann and her, but maybe she misread it? Maybe Joann told her this story to warn her off?

Their legendry non verbal communication must not have been _that_ legendary, it seemed.

“You okay Keyla?” Owosekun asked, laying a gentle hand on Detmer’s arm.

“Yeah, yeah, of course” Keyla answered quickly, looking down at the Padd she was holding. “Just thinking about what you said. You’re right, it’s… it must be terrible for him. But you know” she hesitated, took a deep breath and started again “some friendships are really the building blocks for a real relationship, and I thought that maybe…” she stopped again, looking up into deep brown eyes, and a hand that was closing once again on her arm. “I thought that w..” a strong claxon sound broke through, red lights flashing and commander Saru’s voice urging senior officers to the bridge.

“Later” Joann said, touching Keyla’s face just for a second – stopping time, sound and the world with that touch – and off they went, mayhem and officers running around them.

They never got around to finishing that talk, crisis following crisis. But something did open up between them, Keyla was sure. And if they just had one evening off, just a couple of hours to talk and sort through what they were feeling…

<I’m staying on board to assist Michael> flashed on her screen. From Tilly. From the gasp she heard next to her, Detmer guessed the same message was delivered to Ops. Keyla sank into her seat, suddenly overwhelmed by a strong emotion she could not name, not at first. But then it came to her. Relief. Because this is what needed to be done. They were Starfleet, and “we don’t abandon each other”. Just as Michael passionately pleaded with Captain Pike way back on their first mission with him, where both Captain and Commander blindly entrusted their fate into the hands of the Discovery pilot and ops officer. 

But what about.. she was just about to turn to the ops station when Captain Pike issued the most surprising order yet.  
“Alpha team, take a breather. We’re about to head into a real shit show, and I want you all to have a clear head. Take 20 minutes to grab a bite, wash up, whatever you feel will get you going, and report back”.

Mumbled ‘eye sir’ and ‘yes captain’ sounded from around the bridge. It seemed comical, almost, to suddenly be order to chill out in the middle of the biggest fight ever. And yet here they were, the whole bridge team, in one elevator…

“I’m staying with her” Bryce suddenly said, lips pursed and strong look on his face.  
“Me too” Gen Rice added, so calm it seemed like he was almost making fun of them… but he wasn’t.  
One by one the bridge team added their voice, the last one being Joann, looking straight at Keyla as she said it. But before she had a chance to response, the elevator reached the mess hall level, everybody piling out. Except for both of them. Just standing there with the door closing, leaving just the two of them in the pod.

“Turbolift stop” Lt. Owosekun ordered. She moved forward, getting closer to Detmer, and Kayla suddenly felt tense, the same tension she would feel just before a first kiss, just before….  


“Keyla” Joann said in her smooth, calm voice. “Will you stay as well?”

Lt. Detmer nodded, suddenly not trusting her voice.

“Are you staying because it’s the right thing to do?”

“Yes” she found her voice. “But I’m staying because I don’t want to break off from you Owo.”

Owosekun took another step forward, thick air between them.

“Is it our friendship you don’t want to break off from?”

And suddenly there was no doubt. The story Joann told her about her academy days and a friendship lost suddenly irrelevant. It was time to voice things, it was time to lay it out.  


So she did what any proper pilot would do. She hit it. Hands closing around Lt. Owosekun head, bringing her close and sealing her lips with her own, taking just a nano second to appreciate that feeling of a first kiss. It will never return, but god, it answered so many questions.  
Joann’s hands closed around her back, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, tongues quickly touching, and…

“I don’t want to lose you, Joann” she whispered, foreheads touching. They smiled, and it seemed crazy that in all this… universe ending crisis they were in the midst of, they could feel so happy.

And from that moment, really, there were no more questions, about anything really.

One more of absolute terror though, followed shortly by another. Burnham was off being covered by a cocoon of battle ships, when in between explosions and bursts of energy, Lt. Owosekun’s voice lost it’s calm. “Commander”, she called out, urgently and worried. Detmer turned to her, as did Saru. “Sensors show that something beamed on board while our shield were down!”. Saru looked back at her, puzzled, when the blast downs behind him opened up.

Detmer had a brief second’s thought of how dark the space outside the bridge seemed, when she caught Captain Georgiou’s look change from operation ready, to very, very alarmed. And that – in itself – created a knot of worry in Detmer’s stomach.

A knot that turned into a chasm of despair when Captain Leland walked in, firing everywhere.

She dived behind her console, hiding and peeking out, trying to discern where the fire was coming from and where was – she would think getting shot would get more of a reaction, but even then, Joann wouldn’t lose her composure. Just a grunt and she fell. Detmer couldn’t even speak, absolute terror paralyzing her till finally Giorgiou and Lt. Commander Nan drove Leland out of the bridge.

Only a minute after climbing back to her spot and taking control into her hands again, did she release her Starfleet training just for a bit and turned, frantic, to search for her partner.

Owosuken was just climbing back into her seat, obviously in pain from, thank god, what appeared to be just a flesh wound. A quick look back and they both turned to their stations and the never ending, always negative reports, they fired back at their acting Captain.

“Shields are down to 10%... 9!” Owo reported back, and just for a second, Detmer thought that this might be it. How can they make it out of this, alive? Maybe this is how we save the world, she thought, by blowing up.

But then the Klingons arrived, and the Ba’aul fighters. And Siranna… and then Tilly, crazy smart, sentimental Tilly, did the unbelievable and - they are Starfleet, and they got it done. Commander Burnham once again showed her grit and all of the sudden a red beaming light shone across the sky.

When Commander Saru ordered her to follow Michael’s light, Lt .Detmer was efficient, determined and focused. She wasn’t scared, just on point. And as they were crossing over, even though she shouldn’t have, really, she did take her eyes off the view screen and her controls for just a second, quick peek to the ops station – and the look back from Joann that left her knowing whatever they were about to face – she made the right call to face it as true partners, friendship and love combined.  



End file.
